Bridge to Excellence Harford County Public Schools

Master Plan 2017 Annual Update

Barbara P. Canavan Superintendent of Schools

102 S. Hickory Avenue Bel Air, Maryland 21014

November 17, 2017

Harford County Public Schools

Bridge to Excellence Master Plan

Board of Education of Harford County Strategic Plan

Vision: Harford County Public Schools will inspire and prepare each student to achieve success in college and career. Mission: Each student will attain academic and personal success in a safe and caring environment that honors the diversity of our students and staff. Core Values:

We empower each student to achieve academic excellence..

We create reciprocal relationships with families and members of the community.

We attract and retain highly skilled personnel.

We assure an efficient and effective organization.

We provide a safe and secure environment.

Long Term Goals: Goal 1: Prepare every student for success in postsecondary education and career. Goal 2: Engage families and the community to be partners in the education of our

students. Goal 3: Hire and support highly effective staff who are committed to building their own

professional capacity in order to increase student achievement. Goal 4: Provide safe, secure, and healthy learning environments that are conducive to

effective teaching and learning, creativity and innovation. We believe the strategic plan guides our practice and is the foundation for continuous systemic growth and achievement. Our core values are constant, non-negotiable, and reflect our systemic beliefs. The plan will be reviewed annually by the Board of Education of Harford County. The components of the plan will be reflected in the Harford County Master Plan, the Board of Education Budget, and the respective School Performance and Achievement Plans.

Members of the Board of Education 2017-2018

Joseph L. Voskuhl, President Laura Runyeon, Vice President

Joseph A. Hau Thomas Fitzpatrick

Robert L. Frisch Jansen Robinson Nancy Reynolds Rachel Gauthier

Alfred Williamson Matt Resnik, Student Representative

Barbara P. Canavan

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS 102 S. Hickory Avenue

Bel Air, Maryland 21014  

Harford County Public Schools

Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Strategies to Manage the Master Plan

Development and Implementation of the Master Plan The development of the HCPS Master Plan involved a number of stakeholders. The ideas, beliefs, perceptions, and recommendations of representatives of the various groups were collected and assimilated into the Master Plan. HCPS personnel will continue to communicate and collaborate with the stakeholders with regard to implementation of the plan and progress towards achieving the goals set forth by the HCPS Board of Education. The list below identifies the variety of forums utilized to gather data from and communicate with stakeholders:

Town meetings open to all citizens; Harford County Regional Association of Student Councils town meeting with Superintendent

and Leadership Team; Board of Education’s Citizen Advisory Committees; Harford County Business Roundtable; Harford County Council of PTA’s presentations; Harford County Council of PTA’s monthly meetings with Superintendent; Superintendent’s meetings with Harford County Education Association; Superintendent and Board of Education’s meetings with Harford Community College

Board of Directors; Superintendent’s meetings with state delegates and senators; Superintendent’s monthly meetings with County Executive; Superintendent’s weekly leadership meetings; Departmental Citizen Advisory meetings; and HCPS Website - Internet feedback forum.

Harford County Public Schools Bridge to Excellence Master Plan

The Harford County Public School System’s Bridge to Excellence Master Plan is the result of the insights and contributions of many Harford County educators and citizens, who came together to envision a strong, viable future for the school system and to identify resources needed to achieve that vision. While it is not possible to cite the names of everyone involved in the preparation of HCPS’ Master Plan, special appreciation is expressed to the following individuals who contributed to the 2016 Annual Update.

Acknowledgements Tammy Abbate Assistant Supervisor of Reading, English, and Related Language Arts Susan Austin, Ph.D. Director of Special Education Kimberly Banks Supervisor of World Languages and ESOL Jennifer Birkelien Grants Accountant Cornell Brown, Jr. Assistant Superintendent for Operations Susan Brown, Ed. D. Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Barbara P. Canavan Superintendent of Schools Eric Clark Director of Budget Howard Eakes Assistant Supervisor of Science Mary Edmunds Budget Specialist Joyce Jablecki Administrative Assistant, Office of Grants, Business and Community Partnerships Sharon Kachur Assistant Supervisor of Mathematics Joseph P. Licata Chief of Administration Sarah Morris Supervisor of Mathematics

Angela Morton Executive Director of Elementary Education Laurie Namey Supervisor of Equity and Cultural Proficiency Andrew Renzulli Supervisor of Science Sara Saacks Assistant Supervisor of Accountability Kristine Scarry Supervisor of Reading, English, and Related Language Arts Joseph Schmitz Executive Director of Middle and High School Performance Phillip Snyder Supervisor of Accountability Patrick Spicer, Esq. General Counsel

Jay Staab Director of Finance Mary Beth Stapleton Coordinator of Grants, Business and Community Partnerships Pauline Timmons Brown Grant Coordinator – State George Toepfer Supervisor of Social Studies Renee Villareal Coordinator of School Performance and Achievement

Harford County Public Schools

Bridge to Excellence Master Plan

Essential Vocabulary AP Advanced Placement

BOE Board of Education

BTE Bridge to Excellence

C3 College, Career, and Civic Life

Common Core Standards

State Board-adopted standards that detail what students should know in the academic areas kindergarten through grade twelve

EEA Educator Effectiveness Academy

EL English Learners

ELA English Language Arts

ELL English Language Learners

ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages

FARMS Free and Reduced Meals

Formative Assessments

Classroom assessment that assists teachers in planning the next steps for instruction of individual students

HCPS Harford County Public Schools

Highly Qualified Paraprofessionals

Paraprofessionals who deliver instructional services to students and who have either completed two years of study at an institution of higher education, obtained an associate’s or higher degree, or met a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate knowledge through a formal assessment

Highly Qualified Teachers

Public elementary or secondary school teachers who have full state certification or have passed a state licensing examination, are licensed to teach in the state, and have not had certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis

HSA High School Assessment

IEP Individualized Education Plan

Instructional Technology

Software that supports the instructional program

LEA Local Education Agency – The Harford County Public School System

LEP Limited English Proficiency

MCCRS Maryland College and Career Ready Standards

MSA Maryland School Assessment

MSDE Maryland State Department of Education

NCLB No Child Left Behind – Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2002

NGSS Next General Science Standards

PARCC Partnership for College and Career Readiness

PD Professional Development

Performance Levels

Categories of student performance on state academic tests: Basic, Proficient, and Advanced levels

PM Performance Matters

PS Performance Series – Web-based assessment in reading and/or mathematics to determine student performance levels (scaled scores) and student performance growth over time.

RELA Reading, English, and Language Arts

RTTT Race to the Top

SC State Curriculum

SPA School Performance & Achievement Plan

SIOP Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol

SPAT School Performance & Achievement Team

SLO Student Learning Objective

SMI Scholastic Mathematics Inventory

SRI Scholastic Reading Inventory

STEM Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Maryland’s Bridge to Excellence Master Plan i Executive Summary 2 Budget Narrative 6 Finance Section 8 Maryland’s Goals, Objective and Strategies 12 o PARCC English Language Arts Literacy Grade 3-8 and Grade

10 o PARCC Mathematics for Grades 3-8 o PARCC Algebra I o High School Assessment Biology o High School Assessment Government

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2017 Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Assessments Requirements

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Maryland’s Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Authorization The 2017 Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Annual Update is authorized by the following:

Section 5-401, Comprehensive Master Plans, Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland;

Public Law 111-5, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009; Chapter 702 of the Education Article, Annotated Code of Maryland; Chapter 264 of the Education Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, Assessment Administration

and Provision of Information; and Section 7-203.3, Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

Background In 2002, the Maryland General Assembly enacted the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act. This legislation provides a powerful framework for all 24 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to increase student achievement for all students and to close the achievement gap. The Bridge to Excellence legislation significantly increased State Aid to public education and required each LEA to develop a comprehensive master plan, to be updated annually. Each LEA shall develop and implement a comprehensive master plan that describes the goals, objectives, and strategies that will be used to improve student achievement in each segment of the student achievement. Additionally, each annual update will include detailed summaries of the alignment between the LEA’s current year approved budget, prior year actual budget and the master plan goals and objectives. In 2016, the Maryland General Assembly passed House Bill (HB) 999, the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, and HB 412, Assessment Administration and Provision of Information. HB 999 outlines the reporting structure of the 2016 and 2017 Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Annual Update, which limits specified requirements to be reported in the master plan annual update for these two years. HB 412 outlines assessment reporting details specified in the new Education Article Section 7-203.3 for each assessment administered in each LEA, and the information that shall be provided for each administrated assessment. Below you will find the details of House Bill 999, House Bill 412 and Section 7-203.3 demonstrating the revisions that must be included in the 2016 and 2017 master plan annual updates. Chapter 702 of the Education Article, Annotated Code of Maryland Section 3 and be it further enacted, that: (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for calendar years 2016 and 2017, a county board of education’s annual update of the comprehensive master plan required by § 5–401(b)(3) of the Education Article shall include only: (1) the budget requirements required by § 5–401(b) (5) of the Education Article; (2) the goals, objectives, and strategies regarding the performance of:

(i) students requiring special education, as defined in § 5–209 of the 9 Education Article;

(ii) students with limited English proficiency, as defined in § 5–208 of the Education Article; and (iii) students failing to meet, or failing to make progress toward 13 meeting, State performance

 

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standards, including any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole;

(3) the strategies to address any disparities in achievement for students in item (2)(iii) of this subsection; and (4) the requirements of § 7–203.3 of the Education Article, as enacted H.B. 412/ S.B. 533 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2016. (b) (1) The State Department of Education shall convene a group of stakeholders to review the current statutory and regulatory requirements of the master plan and the new requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. (2) On or before October 1, 2017, the Department shall report to the State Board of Education, the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, as enacted by Section 1 of this Act, and, in accordance with § 2–1246 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on recommendations regarding: (i) what information future comprehensive master plans should contain; and (ii) whether future comprehensive master plans should be completed in a digital form that can be updated periodically. Chapter 264 and Section 7-203.3 Chapter 264 of the Education Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, Assessment Administration and Provision of Information, Chapter 264 includes the new §7-203.3, Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland. The reporting requirements are:

7–203.3 (A) (1) In this section, “ASSESSMENT” means a locally, state, or federally mandated test that is

intended to measure a student’s academic readiness, learning progress, and skill acquisition.

(2) “ASSESSMENT” does not include a teacher-developed quiz or test. (B) This section does not apply to an assessment or test given to a student relating to:

(1) A student’s 504 Plan; (2) The federal individuals with disabilities education Act, 20 U.S.C.1400; or (3) Federal law relating to English Language Learners

(A) (C) For each assessment administered in a local education agency, each county board shall provide the following information:

(1) The title of the assessment; (2) The purpose of the assessment; (3) Whether the assessment is mandated by a local, state or federal entity; (4) The grade level or subject area, as appropriate, to which the test is administered; (5) The testing window of the assessment; and (6) Whether accommodations are available for students with special needs and what the accommodations are.

(D) On or before October 15th of each year, the information required under subsection (A) of this shall be:

(1) updated; (2) posted on the website of the county board; and (3) included in the annual update of the county board’s master plan required under § 5–401 of this article section.

 

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Executive Summary

 

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Executive Summary

I.A Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) is a diverse jurisdiction serving just under 38,000 students in 34 elementary schools, nine middle schools, nine high schools, one technical/vocational high school, a school for students with disabilities, and an alternative education school. The Harford County Board of Education (BOE) is accelerating efforts and making necessary changes to the current way of doing business, and has approved a Strategic Plan that aligns with the HCPS Bridge to Excellence Master Plan. HCPS believes all students can meet high standards. To that end, HCPS commits to preparing all students to be college and career ready. Supporting the transition to enhanced standards and high-quality assessments; Using data to improve instruction; Supporting great teachers and great leaders; and Turning around HCPS lowest-achieving schools. The mission of HCPS is to ensure that each student will attain academic and personal success in a safe and caring environment that honors the diversity of our students and staff. The Harford County BOE supports this mission by fostering a climate that supports deliberate change and monitoring progress through measurable indicators. Although many students achieve academic success, HCPS is dedicated to ensuring that ALL students are successful. This strategic plan allows for intentional efforts to address some of the most concerning challenges: Students with disabilities are continually challenged to achieve proficiency on formative and

summative assessments. Students with limited English proficiency are continually challenged to achieve proficiency

on formative and summative assessments. Job-embedded professional development for teachers with respect to educational technology,

continual funding shortfalls to maintain existing implemented technologies, and an aging infrastructure which cannot meet the growing demand of online and multi-media instructional resources remain a challenge.

Specific strategies to address these low performing student groups are included in each of the content specific sections in this Master Plan. In order to address these challenges, and ensure every student is prepared for post-secondary education and a career, four arching goals and five core values are identified in the Harford County Board of Education Strategic Plan. BOE Strategic Plan Goals: Goal 1: To prepare every student for success in postsecondary education and a career. Goal 2: To engage families and the community to be partners in the education of our students.

 

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Goal 3: To hire and support highly skilled staff who are committed to building their own professional capacity in order to increase student achievement.

Goal 4: To provide safe, secure, and healthy learning environments that are conducive to effective teaching and learning, creativity and innovation.

BOE Strategic Plan Core Values: We empower each student to achieve academic excellence. We create reciprocal relationships with families and members of the community. We attract and retain highly skilled personnel. We assure an efficient and effective organization. We provide a safe and secure environment.

Additionally, the creation of the HCPS Central School Performance and Achievement Team Process and the HCPS Local Accountability Model will strongly impact overall achievement in all 54 schools. HCPS ensures the implementation of aligned, evidence-based practices through a centralized school performance and achievement process. The Central School Performance and Achievement Team (SPA), comprised of central office directors, supervisors and coordinators, meets monthly to analyze individual school data and school performance goals and objectives. In June 2017, the team developed a local accountability model. They analyzed three years of historical data to determine schools with the greatest need. As a result, Central SPA has identified nine Local Priority Schools. Reference the chart below.

Local Priority Schools

Halls Cross Roads Elementary School George D. Lisby Elementary School

Magnolia Elementary School Aberdeen Middle School Edgewood Middle School Magnolia Middle School

Alternative Education Program at the Center for Educational Opportunity Edgewood High School Joppatowne High School

This is a support model where schools identified receive additional resources and supports through the central school performance and achievement team. They receive additional intervention and school performance funding for evidence-based before and after school programs and additional teacher paid planning opportunities with their school performance and achievement teams. The levels of support vary based upon the individualized needs of each school.

 

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Our system’s Leadership Team mandates that all 54 School Improvement Plans (School Performance and Achievement Plans) include specific goals and strategies for identified and targeted student groups. These student groups are identified by central office based on significant achievement gaps noted in PARCC data. As a district, the EL population and SWD student groups are the two greatest needs. Principal and teacher SLOs are geared towards identified student groups. Interventions utilized across the district for select students in targeted student groups:

o Reading Co-teaching and differentiation Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Program Wilson Reading Program Making Meaning Strategic Reading Corrective Reading SIPPS Plugged into Reading SIOP Model for EL

o Mathematics Co-teaching and differentiation Envision Math Intervention Do the Math Fast Track

In addition to developing a local accountability system to support our most struggling schools, the Central SPA also reviews instructional programming and data for all HCPS schools. The Central SPA reviews academic data, attendance data, discipline data, TELL survey results and student motivation survey data and looks for a direct correlation between the data and the strategies listed in the schools’ School Performance and Achievement Plans (SPAs). Tier 1, 2 and 3 levels of instruction are analyzed for each school during this meeting to ensure fidelity. HCPS provides a differentiated support model for schools. The strategies are provided to schools during a School Performance & Achievement Superintendent visit. The data our central-SPA team analyzes does filter down to the “student group” level. Recommendations are made to schools with regard to student groups. Specific strategies are found on the written feedback given to each school. It is required that each school set specific benchmarks for student groups that are not meeting state standards. Careful attention is paid to our special education and ELL student groups. The team summarizes their findings and shares this information with each school principal. Afterwards, our Superintendent and members of her leadership/curriculum teams visit each school. During the visit, school based leadership teams respond to questions posed about their academic and non-academic program and its connection to the Board Strategic Plan, their school culture and climate and their data analysis processes and protocols. Subsequently, the Superintendent’s team meets with staff members and students of each school to gather additional feedback about the progress of the school. Follow-ups often occur based on these Superintendent visits. Specific content supervisors/coordinators are asked to work with the school to support their efforts.

 

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Furthermore, in order to support the “pipeline” of students ready for STEM careers, HCPS developed a coordinated, integrated, comprehensive K-12 STEM Education Strategy. Local leaders of industry, government, community, and subject content experts provided recommendations that changed STEM education in Harford County. These recommendations align with the State’s more rigorous College and Career Ready Standards. The result of this planning process will be to ensure more students are better prepared for post-secondary STEM careers. By school year 2024, HCPS will: Increase student achievement from current rates to 95% proficient in English/Language Arts

and Mathematics. Increase the graduation rate. Increase the percent of graduates who register as full or part-time post-secondary students. Increase the number of students earning college credit at institutions of higher learning prior

to graduation. Increase the number of college credit courses offered in HCPS including Advanced

Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and online. Increase the number of graduates who meet the MSDE University System of Maryland

Completer. Meet or exceed the national average for critical reading, mathematics, and writing scores on

the SAT or the ACT. Budget Narrative Harford County Public Schools (HCPS) is a fiscally dependent school system with an actual enrollment of 37,426 students in fiscal 2017. HCPS is the 149th largest school system of the 13,588 regular school districts in the country when ranked by enrollment1. This places HCPS in the top one percent of school districts by size. HCPS is ranked eighth of the 24 school districts in the State of Maryland. The student body will be served by a projected 5,112 FTE teaching and staff positions for fiscal 2018. The enrollment for FY 2018 is projected to remain flat or decline slightly. The expected decrease in enrollment will have minimal impact when spread over the 54 schools in the system and will not impact the master plan implementation.

Harford County has 54 public schools along with 45 nonpublic schools2 located within the County. Citizens in the County have a choice of public or private schools. Approximately 37,500 students attend public schools. The number of students attending private schools is unknown. The 2014 population of Harford County was 251,001 and is projected to increase to 258,355 by 20193. According to the Bureau of Census, the school age population in 2010 was 52,171 of which 38,637 or 74% attended public schools. School enrollment was 35,963 in 1994 and reached a peak in 2004 of 40,294 and has declined to 37,426 in September 2016.

                                                            1 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," 2010–11 Table 98. 2 Maryland State Department of Education Fact Book for the Fiscal Year 2013-2014, page 7. 3 www.harfordbusiness.org

 

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The Fiscal Year 2018 Board of Education adopted Budget for Harford County Public Schools addresses the essential components of federal legislation known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), state legislation known as the Bridge to Excellence Act (BTE), and continues to address the Strategic Plan and Master Plan. Meeting the educational needs of a growing and diverse community so that no child is left behind requires vision, knowledge, organization, effective planning, sufficient coordinated resources, and commitment from all stakeholders.

The fiscal year 2018 budget development process continues to emphasize the importance of listening to and collaborating with our stakeholders – both internal and external – as we face systemic financial challenges. The process began with an employee survey and an employee open forum budget session. Following the employee session, public input sessions and roundtable discussions were held to educate the community at-large about the budget development process and timeline and to allow participants time to provide input regarding budget priorities. The fiscal year 2018 operating budget includes increases of $14.1 million for wages, $4.6 million for employee benefits and $0.2 million in cost of doing business increases. The Superintendent and her Leadership staff were able to identify $4.3 million in non-position related expenditures. Unfortunately, a $2.8 million shortfall still existed which necessitated additional reductions to balance the budget. Forty-three positions were eliminated from the budget, including thirty-six full-time teaching positions.

The fiscal 2018 Approved Unrestricted Operating, Restricted and Capital budgets are $446.0 million, $30.0 million and $48.6 million, respectively. The fiscal situation addressed in the budget, including the reallocation of existing resources to cover new expenses, will impact our schools, our students and all employees of Harford County Public Schools.

 

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Finance Section

 

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I.B

Finance Section

Introduction The finance section, in conjunction with the budget narrative information in the Executive Summary, includes a Current Year Variance Table, a Prior Year Variance Table, and analyzing questions. Together, these documents illustrate the LEA’s alignment of current year budget and prior year expenditures with the Master Plan goals and objectives. The focus of the finance section will be the total budget and all budgetary changes (retargeted funds, redistributed resources, and new funds.)

Components

1. The Executive Summary (I.A) includes a budget narrative that describes the fiscal outlook, fiscal changes and changes in demographics, the impact of changes on the school system and the master plan goals and objectives, and the responses to analyzing questions.

a. Supporting Budget Tables i. Current Year Variance Table: the budgetary plan for FY 2018.

ii. Prior Year Variance Table: a comparative look at the FY 2017 plan versus actual events.

2. Resource Allocation Discussions are included in the content analysis throughout the

2018 Master Plan Update. This provides school systems with an opportunity to illustrate the totality of their commitment to accelerating student achievement and eliminating gaps. These discussions should include use of new funds, redirected funds, and/or retargeted resources. Discussions of a particular initiative may occur in several places within the content analysis, but expenditures should appear only once in the variance table.

3. Analyzing Questions are based on the Prior Year Variance Tables. Responses to these questions should be embedded within the Budget Narrative.

Instructions Supporting Budget Tables

1. The purpose of the variance tables is to illustrate that LEA Master Plan goals and objectives are aligned with annual budgets.

2. These tables are not intended to be prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

3. Revenue and expenditures must equal. 4. It is appropriate to include Transfers in the Other Category. 5. For expenditures, identify each as restricted or unrestricted. Federal IDEA and Title I

funds must be separately identified and listed by CFDA number and grant name.

 

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For the Current Year Variance Table, LEAs will allocate their total budget by revenue and expenditure.

Revenue is reported by source: Local Appropriation, Other Local Revenue, State Revenue, Federal Revenue, Other Federal Funds, and Other Resources/Transfers. All Federal Title I and IDEA funds must be separately identified and listed by CFDA number and grant name. Other federal funds should be consolidated into the other federal funds line.

Expenditures are reported based on the corresponding section of Race to the Top and the reform assurance area. LEAs should include the expenditure item, the fund source, the amount of the expenditure and all associated FTE. For fund source, use unrestricted (State and/or Local funds) or restricted. For restricted funds, include the federal CFDA number.

The Prior Year Variance Table is intended to provide a comparative analysis between the plan and the actual events in the prior year. LEAs will update the pre-populated tables with actual data (revenue, expenditure, and full time equivalent - FTE).

The Prior Year Variance table (plan v. actual for FY 2017). The prior year revenue is presented as the approved budget at the start of the fiscal year compared with the approved budget at the end of the fiscal year. All Federal Title I and IDEA funds must be separately identified and listed by CFDA number and grant name. Other federal funds should be consolidated into the other federal funds line.

The expenditure data is presented as planned compared to realized expenditures and shown by the corresponding section of Race to the Top and the reform assurance area, mandatory costs and other categories. This table also includes planned and actual FTE at the expenditure level and includes the fund source. For fund source, include unrestricted (State and/or Local funds) or restricted. For restricted funds, include the federal CFDA number.

Resource Allocation Discussions are included in the content analysis throughout the 2017 Master Plan Update. Throughout the Master Plan Update, LEAs are asked to respond to analyzing prompts based on performance data or other reported information. LEAs are asked to identify challenges and then specifically describe the changes or adjustments that will be made to ensure sufficient progress, include timelines where appropriate and a discussion of corresponding resource allocations. In their discussion of corresponding resource allocations, LEAs should include funding targeted to changes or adjustments in staffing, materials, or other items for a particular program, initiative, or activity. LEAs must identify the source of the funding as restricted or unrestricted. If the source is restricted Title I, or IDEA funding, include the CFDA number, grant name, and the associated funds. Otherwise, identify the source include associated funds.

 

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Analyzing Questions Please use the information provided in the Prior Year Variance Table to develop answers to the following questions. Responses should be embedded in the Budget Narrative section of the Executive Summary.

Revenue and Expenditure Analysis

1. Did actual FY 2017 revenue meet expectations as anticipated in the Master Plan Update for 2017? If not, identify the changes and the impact any changes had on the FY 2017 budget and on the system’s progress towards achieving Master Plan goals. Please include any subsequent appropriations in your comparison table and narrative analysis.

HCPS Response: Yes, revenues met expectations

2. For each assurance area, please provide a narrative discussion of the changes in expenditures and the impact of these changes on the Master Plan goals.

HCPS Response:

Section: Standards and Assessments—received a restricted grant after the variance tables were submitted last year.

Section: Other—Variance was due to lower special education non-public placement costs.

Definitions of Key Terms

1. Original Approved Budget – budget as approved at the beginning (July 1) of the fiscal year

2. Final Approved Budget – budget as approved at the end (June 30) of the fiscal year 3. Redistributed Funds – funds that were once used for a different purpose, now being used

for a new purpose 4. Retargeted Resources – resources that are being used for a new purpose without a change

in funding Submission Information

1. MSDE will transmit the budget documents to LEAs in an Excel workbook in early July. The workbook will include spreadsheets for the Current and Prior Year Variance Tables.

2. Two methods of submission. As noted in the Submission Instructions in Appendix D, an electronic Excel workbook containing the budget documents must be submitted with the 2017 Master Plan Update and uploaded separately to DocuShare OR Google Drive. This submission process applies to the original October 16 and final November 17 submissions. ALL final budget documents should include any changes made as a result of the review process. 

 

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Maryland’s Goals,

Objectives and

Strategies

 

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Maryland’s Goals, Objectives and Strategies

Maryland remains committed to addressing significant gains and progress for all students. As part of the 2017 Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Annual Update, LEAs are required to analyze their State assessment data, and implementation of goals, objectives and strategies to determine their effect on student achievement and classroom practices. Based on the Chapter 702 of the Education Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, the reporting requirements regarding the performance of certain students in all indicated assessments must include goals, objectives and strategies. Strategies must address any discrepancies in achievement. For this annual update, the reporting requirements must address for the following student populations:

i. Students requiring special education services; ii. Students with limited English proficiency; and

iii. Students failing to meet, or failing to make progress towards meeting State performance standards. In the absence of State performance standards, LEAs are required to report on any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole.

Based on House Bill 999, the reporting requirement must also include strategies to address any discrepancies in achievement for students failing to meet, or failing to make progress toward meeting State performance standards. In the absence of State performance standards, LEAs are required to report on any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole. Describe the goals, objectives, and strategies regarding the performance of each identified student group. In your analysis of students requiring special education services, LEAs must consider the following special education issues within the responses:

Access to the General Education Curriculum. How are students accessing general education so they are involved and progressing in the general curriculum at elementary, middle and high school levels and across various content areas?

Collaboration with General Educators. How is the local education agency ensuring collaboration between general and special education staff, including such opportunities as joint curricular planning, provision of instructional and testing accommodations, supplementary aids and supports, and modifications to the curriculum?

Strategies used to address the Achievement Gap. When the local education agency has an achievement gap between students with disabilities and the all students group, what specific strategies are in place to address this gap? Identify activities and funds associated with targeted grants to improve the academic achievement outcomes of the special education student group.

Interventions, enrichments and supports to address diverse learning needs. How are students with disabilities included in, or provided access to, intervention/enrichment programs available to general educations students?

 

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In your analysis of students with Limited English Language proficiency, you must consider reporting the progress of English Learners (ELs) in the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 in developing and attaining English language proficiency and achievement on the reading/language arts and mathematics State’s assessments for the following indicators. Indicator 1 is used to demonstrate the percentages of ELs progressing toward English

proficiency. To demonstrate progress, Maryland uses an overall composite proficiency level obtained from the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. ELs are considered to have made progress if their overall composite proficiency level on the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 is 0.5 higher than the overall composite proficiency level from the previous year’s test. In order to meet the Indicator 1 target for school year 2016-2017, LEAs must show that 58% of ELs made progress. 

 

Indicator 2 is used to demonstrate the percentages of ELs attaining English proficiency by the end of each school year. For determining Indicator 2, Maryland uses an overall composite proficiency level and a literacy composite proficiency level based upon ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. ELs are considered to have attained English proficiency if their overall composite proficiency level is 4.5 or higher. In order to meet the Indicator 2 target for school year 2016-2017, LEAs must show that 16% of ELs have attained proficiency.

Indicator 3 represents achievement on the Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics State’s assessments for the EL student group.

Describe the strategies that will be used to ensure ELs meet the targets for Indicators 1-3. LEAs should include funding targeted to changes or adjustments in staffing, materials or other items for a particular program, initiative or activity.

Maryland’s accountability structure is driven by the results of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC). PARCC performance levels defines the knowledge, skills and practices students are able to demonstrate. The five performance levels are: PARCC Performance Levels

Level 1: Did not yet meet expectations Level 2: Partially met expectations Level 3: Approached expectations Level 4: Met expectations Level 5: Exceeded expectations

PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy for Grades 3-8 and Grade 10:

1. Based on available PARCC data describe the challenges in English Language Arts/Literacy for grades 3-8 and grade 10. In your response, identify challenges for students requiring special education services, students with limited English proficiency, and students failing to meet, or failing to make progress towards

 

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meeting State performance standards. In the absence of State performance standards, LEAs are required to report on any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency.

Harford County’s PARCC ELA Literacy scores remained consistent with previous year’s performance. In grades 3-8, overall scores slightly decreased from 52.8 to 50.8% and 51.3 to 50.5% at performance levels 4 and 5. In grade 10, the overall score showed a slight decrease from 55.8 to 56.8% at Performance levels 4 and 5. The following student groups show challenges for our district to address.

Grades 3-5: Special Education scores showed a slight increase to 14.0% proficient and Limited English Language Proficient had an increase to 23.5% proficient. FARMS scored 28.9% proficient.

Grades 6-8: Special Education scores showed 12.1% proficient and Limited English Language Proficient was 13.8% proficient. FARMS was a slight decrease at 27.0% proficient.

Grade 10: Special Education scores were a slight increase at 15.2% proficient and FARMS was a slight decrease showing 35.9% proficient. The Limited English Language Proficient student group showed 16.1% proficient.

Since achievement gaps exist with the Special Education, LEP and FARMS student groups, there is a need to further identify differentiated and specialized instruction and strategies in order to support the variety of needs presented. Time will be needed to collaborate with the Special Education Office and ELL Office in order to analyze data and address possible instructional implications especially in the co-taught English classrooms. Balancing resources and supporting individual student circumstances has become a challenge. This includes providing additional opportunities for professional development to enhance the capacity of teachers to address student needs. Teachers continue to need support in the idea of Universal Design for Learning and how instruction is impacted. The adoption in English 10 and Language Arts Grades 6-8 of a new program aligned to Common Core Standards will be a benefit to students and teachers. This program supports a blended learning environment. This approach provides the tools necessary to differentiate instruction in the classroom.

2. Describe the changes or strategies, and the rationale for selecting the strategies and/or evidence-based practices that will be implemented to ensure progress. Include timelines and method(s) of measuring student progress where appropriate. Include a description of corresponding resource allocations. (LEAs should include funding targeted to changes or adjustments in staffing, materials, or other items for a particular program, initiative, or activity. The LEA should identify the source of the funding as restricted or unrestricted. If the source is Federal IDEA or Title I – include the CFDA number, grant name, and the attributable funds. Otherwise, identify the

 

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source (unrestricted or restricted) and include attributable funds.) Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency.

Continue to implement intervention reading programs for identified students grades K-8. Intervention programs have been identified to support students in phonics and decoding, comprehension, and fluency. Making Meaning is implemented in elementary and middle schools. This program supports students in need of comprehension and higher-level thinking. It also incorporates the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards in listening and speaking.

Monitor and support school performance and achievement initiatives at schools identified as in need of assistance in reading performance. Schools in Harford County have identified high leverage strategies such as: close and critical reading, writing in response to reading and writing from source, questioning, differentiation, and vocabulary. The RELA Office is working directly with school teams to support the professional development and instructional implementation of their high leverage strategy. Each strategy can be incorporated across disciplines and the RELA Office is supporting directly how these strategies impact language arts instruction.

Implement a new writing program in all elementary schools. This year Harford County Public Schools will implement the Lucy Calkins Units of Study in Writing. This program will support teachers in the teaching of writing and in the implementation of the writing workshop model. The program has built in on-demand pre-assessments and post-assessments in order to track student progress in the areas of narrative, informative, and opinion writing. Teachers were provided professional development in the spring of 2016, summer of 2017 and pre-school 2017 to provide background on program implementation. Teachers will also be provided with on-going school-based support.

Develop curriculum in the HCPS learning management system, itslearning. Reading curriculum is being developed for all elementary grades 1-5 and middle school language arts 6-8. Itslearning allows are curriculum to move forward in a blended learning environment for our students. The summer of 2017 teacher leader curriculum teams in grades 6 and 7 worked to develop curriculum and resources. The August county-wide professional development day provided opportunities for teachers to deepen their knowledge of HMH, itslearning, and blended learning. Curriculum specialists in the RELA Office will provide on-going school based support during the 2017-2018 school year.  

Implement a new anthology program, Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Collections, for grades 6 and 7 language arts in all our middle schools. An introduction was provided in April 2017 and pre-school August 2017. Curriculum specialists will work with grade level teams throughout the 2017-2018 school year.

Continue regular professional development sessions with the elementary reading specialists and secondary English department chairs. The focus will be on looking at

 

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reading data and instructional implications. Intentional delivery of professional development to deepen their understanding of curriculum will be targeted.

Train teachers and reading specialists for identified elementary and middle school reading intervention programs. All teachers new to intervention programs will receive training opportunities from our office in order to support the effective implementation of program and program fidelity.

Implement the early reading assessment, Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessments, at all elementary schools in kindergarten and first grade. The assessment is administered during a fall, winter, and spring window.

Implement an on-line reading assessment, Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI), in all elementary and middle schools to gather more reliable and valid data for identifying students in need and for providing an opportunity for progress monitoring in reading.

Utilize the middle school content curriculum specialists to support instructional practices. The RELA specialists are able to co-plan, co-teach, and deliver professional development in all of our middle schools.

Collaborate with the Office of Special Education and Office of World Languages and ESOL in order to deliver professional development, identify resources, and provide training.

Provide county-wide and on-site support to schools for the implementation of Maryland College and Career Ready Standards. The RELA Office will support district-wide initiatives such as the 1:1 technology plan for grades 5 and 8.

Work with teacher teams in the creation of Student Learning Objectives tailored to meet the needs of their students.

Work with the Office of World Languages and ESOL to identify English Language Learners who would benefit from additional academic and content supplemental tutorial intervention services in English with emphasis on language use to ultimately increase their reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency and content area achievement. For the HMH core program that was purchased last year, capital funds were used. Intervention programs were funded by the Intervention Office. Programs at five of our military schools were funded by DoDEA Grant funds. In collaboration the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of Professional Development, and the Department of Special Education are refocusing our attention to specialized instruction along a continuum of academic and behavioral supports. Through staff-development opportunities and on-going support to special and general educators, these departments are redefining, reemphasizing and providing strategies to educators to meet the needs of students with disabilities in all placements in Harford County Public Schools.

 

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PARCC Mathematics for Grades 3-8:

1. Based on available PARCC data, describe the challenges in Mathematics for grades 3-8. In your response, identify challenges for students requiring special education services, students with limited English proficiency, and students failing to meet, or failing to make progress towards meeting State performance standards. In the absence of State performance standards, LEAs are required to report on any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency.

The PARCC data in Mathematics for students in grades 3-8 shows relatively little change from the previous year. This trend holds for all students and most student groups. Data for Grades 7 and 8 is more complex because students are enrolled in a variety of mathematics courses. Twenty-five percent of grade 7 students are enrolled in Algebra I and 48% of grade 8 students are enrolled in either Algebra or Geometry. Although only 27% of the students enrolled in Grade 7 mathematics and 11% of students enrolled Grade 8 mathematics demonstrated proficiency at a Level 4 or 5, that data does not give a true picture of middle school student performance. When students who are enrolled in above grade level courses are factored into the data, the percent of seventh grade students who performed at a proficiency level of 4 or 5 in either Math 7 or Algebra I (Grade 7), the overall proficiency level is 40%. Similarly, eighth grade students who performed at Levels 4 or 5 on either Math 8, Algebra I (Grade 8) or Geometry (Grade 8) have an overall proficiency rate of 45%. The number of LEP students who participated in the 2016-17 PARCC Geometry assessment is a small number (7 students) and no statistical inferences can be determined.

Challenges specifically arise with special education students at all grade levels. In grades 3-5, there was relatively not change in performance for elementary and middle school students. The strategies that are already in place include:

Access to the grade level mathematics curriculum and system-wide assessments. Collaboration with general educators through collaborative teaching model. Strategies to address the Achievement Gap include special education participation in

content-specific mathematics professional development opportunities. For example, every elementary special educator attended professional development for the implementation of a new elementary mathematics textbook during 2016-17 and will continue in the 2017-18 SY. Special educators worked side by side with the classroom teachers as they learned content standards, standards for mathematical practices, instructional technology and effective pedagogy, Additionally, special educators were represented on the mathematics textbook selection committees at the elementary and middle school levels.

Intervention, enrichment options are clearly identified in the new mathematics textbook series for grades K-7. Each lesson has differentiation options based on

 

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formative assessment. This feature provides a structure so that student grouping is based on data, rather than perception. General education and special education students will have equal access to intervention or enrichment.

Challenges are also evident for our ELL students. The percent proficient at all grades for ELL students is above the state average, but significantly less than the general population. Strategies to address these needs are subsumed in some of those mentioned above. Additionally, an ELL Toolkit, designed to support English Language Learners, was distributed to all elementary and middle school classroom teachers. There are also lesson-specific ELL suggestions in the elementary and middle school mathematics teacher editions. Teachers of ELL students not only received the ELL Toolkit, provided by the publisher, but individual teachers of ELL students worked with the Office of World Languages and ESOL personnel to examine the content and determine the best strategies based on student needs. The initiatives are funded through HCPS General Funds. Careful reading, making sense of mathematical problems in context, moving from concrete to pictorial to abstract, and perseverance are challenges for our students, including LEP/ELL and Special Education students enrolled in high school Algebra I. We continue to provide professional learning opportunities for all teachers of mathematics, including classroom teachers, special educators, and ESOL teachers in the Standards for Mathematical Practice. These standards address many of the challenges our Algebra I students face.

2. Describe the changes or strategies, and the rationale for selecting the strategies

and/or evidence-based practices that will be implemented to ensure progress. Include timelines and method(s) of measuring student progress where appropriate. Include a description of corresponding resource allocations. (LEAs should include funding targeted to changes or adjustments in staffing, materials, or other items for a particular program, initiative, or activity. The LEA should identify the source of the funding as restricted or unrestricted. If the source is Federal IDEA or Title I – include the CFDA number, grant name, and the attributable funds. Otherwise, identify the source (unrestricted or restricted) and include attributable funds. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency. As stated above, a new mathematics textbook series was purchased for grades k-7. One of the determining factors in selecting this resource was the wealth of materials available to meet the diverse needs of students. Technology, interactive games, manipulatives, and other tools are intentionally used to build conceptual understanding. The Office of World Languages and ESOL will offer support for mathematics teachers around working with English Language Learners in the content classroom. Included among professional development offered by the ESOL staff are a SIOP Model Overview; Newcomers in Your School: Instructional Strategies; and Practices and Tools for Differentiated Instruction for All Proficiency Levels. Three-day SIOP Model

 

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professional development led by Center for Applied Linguistics-trained ESOL staff members are also available to content teachers. The Office of World Languages and ESOL continues to allocate Title III funding to provide additional academic and content supplemental tutorial intervention services to English Language Learners in grades K-12 in mathematics with emphasis on language use to ultimately increase their reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency and content area achievement. In collaboration the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of Professional Development, and the Department of Special Education are refocusing our attention to specialized instruction along a continuum of academic and behavioral supports. Through staff-development opportunities and on-going support to special and general educators, these departments are redefining, reemphasizing and providing strategies to educators to meet the needs of students with disabilities in all placements in Harford County Public Schools

PARCC Algebra I

1. Based on available PARCC data, describe the challenges in Algebra I. In your response, identify challenges for students requiring special education services, students with limited English proficiency, and students failing to meet, or failing to make progress towards meeting State performance standards. In the absence of State performance standards, LEAs are required to report on any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency. Overall student performance, as measure by Algebra I proficiency, decreased from 54% to 50%. In special education, student performance decreased from 13% to 10%, demonstrating a significant gap. Likewise, the ELL Algebra I performance indicates a significant gap. In analyzing each of the grades 3-8 and Algebra I , the following generalizations can be made: African American and Hispanic students do not perform as well as the total

population. ELL and Special Education students do not perform as well as the total population. In all instances, except for Asian students, subgroups follow the same trend line. For

example, if all Grade 5 students show growth, then the Race/ethnicity subgroups follow that same pattern.

The strategies that are already in place include:

Access to the grade level mathematics curriculum and system-wide assessments.

 

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Collaboration with general educators through cooperative collaborative teaching model.

Strategies to address the Achievement Gap include special education participation in content-specific mathematics professional development opportunities. For example, every high school special educator participates in the professional development with the co-teaching partner to learn about the high school Algebra I course. Students enrolled in the course have increased time for mathematics.

Intervention is built into the high school Algebra course. This course is designed to support a variety of levels of learners through a differentiated software package aligned to support the classroom lessons. General Education, English Language Learners, and Special Education students will have equal access to intervention or enrichment.

2. Describe the changes or strategies, and the rationale for selecting the strategies and/or evidence-based practices that will be implemented to ensure progress. Include timelines and method(s) of measuring student progress where appropriate. Include a description of corresponding resource allocations. (LEAs should include funding targeted to changes or adjustments in staffing, materials, or other items for a particular program, initiative, or activity. The LEA should identify the source of the funding as restricted or unrestricted. If the source is Federal IDEA or Title I – include the CFDA number, grant name, and the attributable funds. Otherwise, identify the source (unrestricted or restricted) and include attributable funds. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency. Adjustments and revisions to high school Algebra follow the increased expectation for student performance. All teachers and special educators have received multiple professional development sessions on scoring PARCC Algebra I items and the instructional implications of the using formative assessment data to meet the needs of individual students. School and system general funding is used to support on-going professional development and for the purchase of seat licenses that provide students with differentiated instruction. As more data is available, it is anticipated that we will close the achievement gap for all student groups and that overall student performance will improve. The Office of World Languages and ESOL will offer support for mathematics teachers around working with English Language Learners in the content classroom. Included among professional development offered by the ESOL staff are a SIOP Model Overview; Newcomers in Your School: Instructional Strategies; and Practices and Tools for Differentiated Instruction for All Proficiency Levels. Three-day SIOP Model professional development led by Center for Applied Linguistics-trained ESOL staff members are also available to content teachers. The Office of World Languages and ESOL continues to allocate Title III funding to provide additional academic and content supplemental tutorial intervention services to English Language Learners in grades K-12 in mathematics with emphasis on language

 

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use to ultimately increase their reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency and content area achievement. In collaboration the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of Professional Development, and the Department of Special Education are refocusing our attention to specialized instruction along a continuum of academic and behavioral supports. Through staff-development opportunities and on-going support to special and general educators, these departments are redefining, reemphasizing and providing strategies to educators to meet the needs of students with disabilities in all placements in Harford County Public Schools.

The initiatives are funded through HCPS General Funds. Careful reading, making sense of mathematical problems in context, moving from concrete to pictorial to abstract, and perseverance are challenges for our students, including LEP/ELL and Special Education students enrolled in high school Algebra I. We continue to provide professional learning opportunities for all teachers of mathematics, including classroom teachers, special educators, and ESOL teachers in the Standards for Mathematical Practice. These standards address many of the challenges our Algebra I students face.

High School Assessment (HSA) Biology

1. Based on available data, describe the challenges in Biology. In your response, identify challenges for students requiring special education services, students with limited English proficiency, and students failing to meet, or failing to make progress towards meeting State performance standards. In the absence of State performance standards, LEAs are required to report on any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole. Compared to the previous school year, overall student proficiency rose from 74% proficient to 77.3% proficient. The following student groups are reported on due to historical trends.

Black or African American: 49% to 54.2% proficient (modest increase) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 22% to 14.3% proficient (significant

decrease, n=7) Special Education: 32% to 32.9% proficient (insignificant increase, but stable

performance) Limited English Proficient: 36% to 55% proficient (significant increase) - because

of a relatively small sample size of only 34 students across schools, drawing any firm conclusions as to what caused the increase would be challenging. It would be premature to suggest that any changes in teaching staff and methods associated with new curriculum have led to the increase. 

Free/Reduced Meals: 55% and 58.5% proficient (modest increase) Science in HCPS has been undergoing transformation due to the shift to the Next Generation Science Standards. Key to this transformation is an increased focus on student

 

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centered learning and inquiry oriented science instruction. As such, increased levels of deep and meaningful student experiences are expected to better engage and reach student groups that have historically underperformed. HCPS is pleased to see improvement with the highlighted student groups. Ongoing and sustained forms of teacher professional development will be needed to build on this momentum. This includes specialized attention to the learning needs of all student groups through universal design of learning experiences.

2. Describe the changes or strategies, and the rationale for selecting the strategies and/or evidence-based practices that will be implemented to ensure progress. Include timelines and method(s) of measuring student progress where appropriate. Include a description of corresponding resource allocations. (LEAs should include funding targeted to changes or adjustments in staffing, materials, or other items for a particular program, initiative, or activity. The LEA should identify the source of the funding as restricted or unrestricted. If the source is Federal IDEA or Title I – include the CFDA number, grant name, and the attributable funds. Otherwise, identify the source (unrestricted or restricted) and include attributable funds. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency. To ensure progress, the HCPS Science Office has released new, pilot biology curriculum which aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This curriculum is designed to better engage students and to provide innovative ways to deepen the student experience, and in turn enhance scientific literacy. Key to this effort are significant forms of teacher professional development designed to build understanding regarding the NGSS philosophy as well as its practical implications, as seen in new curriculum. Science teachers have had multiple and ongoing experiences designed to build comfort and facility with the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. Special emphasis has been placed on this dimension as it is the expectation that all classrooms reflect increased levels of “scientist behaviors.” Through this, it is the expectation to see increases in the frequency of student-centered learning experiences, and as a result, increases in student performance. Ongoing work is required in order to build upon the work that has been done in the areas of both curriculum and professional development. Additional pilot learning experiences which model the 5E method for science instruction are needed, as well as ongoing opportunities for real-time teacher collaboration. Curriculum development will continue throughout the current academic year and into the summer. Professional development plans are in place for the year which take advantage of county –wide days, early dismissal days, department chair meetings, and summer events. In collaboration the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of Professional Development, the Department of Special Education, and the Department of World Languages and ESOL are refocusing our attention to specialized instruction along a continuum of academic and behavioral supports. Through staff-development opportunities and on-going support to special and general educators, these departments are redefining, reemphasizing and providing strategies to educators to meet the needs of students with disabilities in all placements in Harford County Public Schools.

 

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The Office of World Languages and ESOL will offer support for science teachers around working with English Language Learners in the content classroom. Included among professional development offered by the ESOL staff are a SIOP Model Overview; Newcomers in Your School: Instructional Strategies; and Practices and Tools for Differentiated Instruction for All Proficiency Levels. Three-day SIOP Model professional development led by Center for Applied Linguistics-trained ESOL staff members are also available to content teachers. The Office of World Languages and ESOL continues to allocate Title III funding to provide additional academic and content supplemental tutorial intervention services to English Language Learners in grades K-12 in science with emphasis on language use to ultimately increase their reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency and content area achievement.

High School Assessment (HSA) Government

1. Based on available HSA data, describe the challenges in Government. In your response, identify challenges for students requiring special education services, students with limited English proficiency, and students failing to meet, or failing to make progress towards meeting State performance standards. In the absence of State performance standards, LEAs are required to report on any segment of the student population that is, on average, performing at a lower achievement level than the student population as a whole. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency.

2. Describe the changes or strategies, and the rationale for selecting the strategies and/or evidence-based practices that will be implemented to ensure progress. Include timelines and method(s) of measuring student progress where appropriate. Include a description of corresponding resource allocations. (LEAs should include funding targeted to changes or adjustments in staffing, materials, or other items for a particular program, initiative, or activity. The LEA should identify the source of the funding as restricted or unrestricted. If the source is Federal IDEA or Title I – include the CFDA number, grant name, and the attributable funds. Otherwise, identify the source (unrestricted or restricted) and include attributable funds. Refer to pages 9 and 10 to ensure your response includes the reporting requirements for students receiving special education services and students with Limited English Language Proficiency.

Harford County’s HSA Government scores remain consistent with previous year’s performance standards. 77% of first time test takers passed the exam; with most students finding success with a curriculum that is regularly reviewed and enhanced. Within the numbers there are challenges that remain; including, scores for African American and Hispanic students which are below the county average and students with disabilities who are also passing the test at low numbers. The Limited English Proficiency (LEP) student

 

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number are relatively small, but their passing rate is substantially below the county average. The following actions have been taken to address these performance levels:  

Review and update of the Grade 9 American Government curriculum guide to reflect the revised content standards, assessment limits, and academic skills of the Career, College and Civic Readiness standards (C3) has been completed in Summer 2017. These revisions have been shared with all teachers through the Its learning! digital platform which will allow for greater teacher and student interactivity. This will promote greater access to digital exercises that will assist students as they are expected to take the on-line version of the HSA Government assessment. Additionally, a workshop experience was provided to teachers of Honors level courses in order to prepare them for working with students in this format. The workshop included teachers working with Robyn Jackson’s book, How to Plan Rigorous Instruction, after attending a presentation from Ms. Jackson as well as content-focused work provided by the Office of Social Studies. Assessments for both on-level and honors level courses have been reviewed and edited for implementation in the 2017-18 school year.

Approximately 20% of the teachers of American Government are non-tenured in their status and also have varying levels of background in political science and the teaching of American Government. Planning experiences with veteran teachers have been provided as well a classroom visitations that ask non-tenured teachers to reflect on the best practices that are a part of the American Government classroom. These include the use of focused vocabulary strategies (i.e., Use of a Vocabulary Notebook), technology applications focused on Web 2.0 tools that provide immediate diagnostic data to both teachers and students such as Quizlet, Padlet, and Kahoot, and Close Reading with a concentration on higher order questions developed by students. All teachers were provided training in the interactive discussion techniques through a variety of professional development opportunities. This will continue with work on the Its Learning! platform and curriculum access as well as a session on Teaching Using Controversial Issues at the August 31, 2017, pre-school In-service.

Several years ago the Office of Social Studies worked with LEP instructor at Harford Technical High School to develop an adapted curriculum guide specifically for ELL students. While this teacher has left employment with the Harford County Public Schools (HCPS), the materials remain available for the current instructor’s use and the current teacher has a history certification for Grades 7-12 which helps to enhance the product’s implementation. Regular consultation is held with the ELL Coordinator regarding how to support learners with language acquisition of challenging vocabulary.

The Office of World Languages and ESOL will offer support for social studies teachers around working with English Language Learners in the content classroom. Included among professional development offered by the ESOL staff are a SIOP Model Overview; Newcomers in Your School: Instructional Strategies; and Practices and Tools for Differentiated Instruction for All Proficiency Levels. Three-day SIOP Model professional development led by Center for Applied Linguistics-trained ESOL staff members are also available to content teachers.

 

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The Office of World Languages and ESOL continues to allocate Title III funding to provide additional academic and content supplemental tutorial intervention services to English Language Learners in grades K-12 in social studies with emphasis on language use to ultimately increase their reading, writing, listening, and speaking proficiency and content area achievement. In collaboration the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of Professional Development, and the Department of Special Education are refocusing our attention to specialized instruction along a continuum of academic and behavioral supports. Through staff-development opportunities and on-going support to special and general educators, these departments are redefining, reemphasizing and providing strategies to educators to meet the needs of students with disabilities in all placements in Harford County Public Schools.

2017 FTTT H.S.A. Government Results

School  # Failed  % Failed  # Passed  % Passed  Total  

ABHS  146  31.6%  316  68.4%  462 

BAHS  43  10.0%  386  90.0%  429 

CEO  15  100.0%  0  0.0%  15 

CMHS  67  16.0%  353  84.0%  420 

EDHS  196  42.4%  266  57.6%  462 

FAHS  24  9.0%  243  91.0%  267 

HDHS  64  33.5%  127  66.5%  191 

HTHS  17  6.6%  239  93.4%  256 

JOHS  105  43.8%  135  56.3%  240 

NHHS  62  17.5%  292  82.5%  354 

PMHS  32  13.7%  202  86.3%  234 

HCPS  771  23.2%  2559  76.8%  3330 

 

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2017 BRIDGE TO EXCELLENCE MASTER PLAN

Harford County Public Schools

Assessments  

 

 

 

     

 

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Title of the Assessment

Purpose of the Assessment

Mandated by a Local

or State Entity

Grade Level Subject Area Testing Window

Are Accommodations

Available for Students with Special Needs?

What are the Accommodations?

PreKindergarten Skills Checklist

To measure student growth and attainment related to the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards in the areas of English/Language Arts and Mathematics.

Local Pre-Kindergarten Pre-Kindergarten

Reading and Mathematics

Sep 11 - Oct 13

Yes

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

Jan 16 – Feb 08 (optional)

Apr 30 – May 30

Student Numeracy Assessment Progression (SNAP)

To provide diagnostic individual student knowledge of early numeracy skills.

Local Kindergarten Mathematics

Sep 11 - Oct 13

Yes

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

Jan 16 – Feb 08

Apr 30 – May 30

Kindergarten Language Assessment (KLA)

To inform teachers about the students’ mastery of the English/Language Arts standards.

Local Kindergarten Reading/English/

Language Arts

Sep 11 - Oct 13

Yes

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

Jan 16 – Feb 08

Apr 30 – May 30

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA)

To measure Kindergarten readiness based on Pre-Kindergarten standards.

State Kindergarten

Language and Literacy, Mathematics, Physical Well-Being

and Motor Development, and Social Foundations

Sep 11 – Oct 10 Yes

KRA Guidelines for Allowable Supports based on Universal Design for Learning

Fountas and Pinnell (F&P)

To identify a student’s reading level and progress along a gradient of text levels over time.

Local

Kindergarten and 1 (Assessment only administered to kindergarten students based on identified need.)

Reading

Sep 11 - Oct 13

Yes

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

Jan 16 – Feb 08 (optional)

Apr 30 – May 30

 

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Title of the Assessment

Purpose of the Assessment

Mandated by a Local

or State Entity

Grade Level Subject Area Testing Window

Are Accommodations

Available for Students with Special Needs?

What are the Accommodations?

Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI)

The purpose of the assessment is to provide a means of gauging students' reading levels and to measure their reading growth over time.

Local

2 - 8

Reading

Sep 11 - Oct 13

Yes, with the exception of the

“read to” accommodation.

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

5 and 8 required as applicable (optional for other grade

levels)

Jan 16 - Feb 08

2, 3, 4, 6, 7 required

(optional for grades 5 and 8)

Apr 30 – May 30

Performance Series

To provide diagnostic reading levels and to measure reading growth over time for high school reading intervention students.

Local 9-10, selected english courses

Reading/ English/ Language Arts

Sep 11 - Oct 13 Yes, with the

exception of the “read to”

accommodation.

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

Jan 16 - Feb 08 (optional)

Apr 30 – May 30

Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA)

To measure student achievement in Science grade 5 (testing content from grades 3-5) and grade 8 (testing content from grades 6-8) as required by federal law.

State 5, 8 Science Mar 05 - Mar 23 Yes Maryland Accommodations Manual

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC)

To measure student achievement and progression towards College and Career Readiness in English Language Arts/ Literacy (ELA/L) and Mathematics based on the learning standards contained in the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards.

State

7-12 (applicable students)

Algebra I, Algebra II, English 10, and

English 11 Dec 06 - Jan 25

Yes

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual

3-12

Reading and mathematics courses in elementary and middle

schools. Algebra I, Algebra II,

Apr 16 - May 18 (paper)

April 16 - May 25 (online)

 

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Title of the Assessment

Purpose of the Assessment

Mandated by a Local

or State Entity

Grade Level Subject Area Testing Window

Are Accommodations

Available for Students with Special Needs?

What are the Accommodations?

Geometry, English 10, and English 11

High School Assessment (HSA) American Government

To ensure that Maryland’s high school graduates are prepared to be productive citizens as they pursue higher education and careers.

State 9-12 American Government

and Biology

Jan 08 – Feb 02

Yes Maryland Accommodations Manual May 07 – Jun 08

(online)

High School Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (HS MISA)

To measure student achievement in science content as required by federal law.

State 10 or 11 Science May 07 – Jun 08

(online) Yes

Maryland Accommodations Manual

English Language Proficiency Assessment W-ACCESS for ELLs 2.0

To determine the current level of English language proficiency along the developmental continuum for English Learner (EL) students.

State K - 12 English Language

Learners Jan 08 – Feb 09

Yes. The accommodations must not change

the construct being measured

in a given item or section.

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual Maryland Accommodations Manual

Multi-State Alternative Assessment (MSAA)

To assess students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in the area of English/Language Arts and Mathematics as required by federal law.

State 3 – 8 and 11 (applicable students)

Reading/English/ Language Arts and

Mathematics Mar 19 – May 04 Yes

Maryland Accommodations Manual

Alternative Maryland Integrated Science Assessment

To assess students with significant cognitive disabilities in the area of Science as required by federal law.

State 5, 8 and grade 10 or 11 (applicable

students) Science Mar 12 – May 18 Yes

Maryland Accommodations Manual

 

29 

 

Title of the Assessment

Purpose of the Assessment

Mandated by a Local

or State Entity

Grade Level Subject Area Testing Window

Are Accommodations

Available for Students with Special Needs?

What are the Accommodations?

Unit, Quarterly, and Final Exams

To determine mastery of the curriculum in specific courses.

Local K-12

Varies at grade levels and dependent upon

course/subject

Unit assessment dates vary dependent upon course/subject pacing. Quarterly and final exam dates: Oct 25 - Oct 28 (Q1) Jan 17 - Jan 20 (Q2) Mar 21 - Mar 24 (Q3) Jun 2 - Jun 7 (Q4)

Yes

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) Accessibility Features and Accommodations Manual Maryland Accommodations Manual